Olivet Assembly Australia Operates in New Land to Make a New History

Olivet Assembly Australia has acquired the property at 300 Mangrove Creek Road, planning to use the land for its administrative operation and as the retreat centre.

Olivet Assembly Australia, as the national body of the global Evangelical Christian organisation – the World Olivet Assembly which operates its global headquarters in New York State, will make use of the property as its national mission headquarters administrative centre, as well as a retreat place for the organisation's charitable purpose.

Surrounded by mountains and facing the creek, the property is a site flourishing with picturesque nature.

Members of the Christian group were told by local residents that prior to the construction of the ashram by the previous owners who were a yoga group, the land was occupied by Indigenous people as a ground of healing. Olivet Assembly Australia acquired the land while acknowledging the previous dark history of children sexual abuse associated with the land and aims to restore its purpose of healing and initiate the beginning of a new history in the property.

OA Australia is now planning out a five-year business plan to renovate the major buildings and build the facilities to accommodate marginalized people in the community such as the mentally ill and the single mothers. OA Australia has an active ministry of caring for single parents and mentally sick group in the past few years and have seen increasing needs in the area.

The concept of operating the charitable retreat centre is not merely to provide the rehabilitation, but also to create different opportunities and positions to support the marginalized to achieve life independence and self-actualization through serving others and creating values.

Olivet Assembly Australia also has a long-term plan to acquire the business permit necessary to operate the land partially for the training of staffs and volunteers, and provide free accommodation for returning missionaries from the fields. In the past five years, Olivet Assembly Australia have trained and dispatched missionaries across the continent of Oceania.

The settlement of property took place in late March this year. Since then the pandemic lockdown order meant the site was prevented from bring officially opened to the public. Olivet Assembly Australia is currently carrying out renovation work and hope to welcome its first group of volunteers onsite soon.